Apparatus and method for making ice for a refrigerator

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for making ice for a refrigerator unit including: an ice making compartment configured to accommodate an ice tray and to store ice therein; a first cooling plate configured to form at least a portion of at least one side surface of the ice making compartment; and a first refrigerant pipe configured to move a refrigerant that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle, wherein at least one side surface of the ice tray comes in direct contact with the first cooling plate, and the first refrigerant pipe is attached to one of opposing surfaces of the first cooling plate that is directed to an outside of the ice making room.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of theRepublic of Korea Patent Application Serial Number 10-2015-0085074,having a filing date of Jun. 16, 2015, filed in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a refrigerator, and moreparticularly to an apparatus and a method for making ice for arefrigerator.

BACKGROUND

A refrigerator unit is an apparatus intended to store food items at lowtemperatures. The refrigerator unit may store foods in a frozen orrefrigerated state according to the type of food intended to be stored.

The interior of the refrigerator unit is cooled by cold air that isconstantly supplied. The cold air is constantly generated through a heatexchanging operation with a refrigerant based on a refrigeration cycle.The cycle includes a process of compression, condensation, expansion,evaporation. The cold air supplied to the inside of the refrigeratorunit is evenly transferred to the inside of the refrigerator byconvection to store food, drink, and other items in the refrigerator ata desired temperature.

Generally, a main body of the refrigerator has a rectangular,parallelepiped shape which is open at a front surface. The front surfacemay provide access to a refrigeration chamber and a freezer chamberlocated within the body of the refrigerator unit. Further, hinged doorsmay be fitted to the front side of the main body in order to selectivelyopen and/or close openings to the refrigeration chamber and freezerchamber. In addition, multiple drawers, shelves, receiving boxes, andthe like may be provided in the refrigeration chamber and the freezerchamber within the refrigerator unit that are configured for optimallystoring various foods, drinks, and other items within a storage spaceinside the refrigerator unit.

Traditionally, refrigerator units were configured as a top mount typerefrigerator in which a freezer chamber is positioned above arefrigeration chamber. Recently, bottom freezer type refrigerator unitsposition the freezer chamber below the refrigeration chamber to enhanceuser convenience. In the bottom freezer type refrigerator unit, the morefrequently used refrigeration chamber is advantageously positioned atthe top so that a user may conveniently access the refrigeration chamberwithout bending over at the waist, as previously required by the topmount type refrigerator unit. The less frequently used freezer chamberis positioned at the bottom.

However, since the freezer chamber is positioned at the lower portion, abottom freeze type refrigerator unit may lose its design benefits when auser wants to access the lower freezer chamber on a more frequent basis.For example, prepared ice that is stored in the freezer chamber may be apopular item accessed frequently by a particular user. In a bottomfreeze type refrigerator unit, since the freezer chamber is positionedbelow the refrigeration chamber, the user would have to bend over at thewaist in order to open the freezer chamber door to access the ice.

In order to solve such a problem, bottom freezer type refrigerators mayinclude a dispenser configured for dispensing ice that is provided in arefrigeration chamber door. In this case, the ice dispenser is alsopositioned at the upper portion of the refrigerator unit, and morespecifically is located above the freezer chamber. In this case, an icemachine for generating ice may be provided in the refrigeration chamberdoor or in the interior of the refrigeration chamber.

An ice making method for the ice machine may be classified into twotypes: indirect cooling and direct cooling. An indirect cooling typemakes ice by cooling an ice tray that contains water by forcedconvection supplying cold air to the ice machine. A direct cooling typemakes ice by allowing a refrigerant pipe to come into direct contactwith the ice tray or water. The indirect cooling type has a drawback inthat the cooling speed is lower than that of the direct cooling type. Incontrast, the direct cooling type ice making method has an advantagethat its cooling speed is quite higher than that of the indirect coolingtype ice making method. However, since the refrigerant pipe is arrangedin an ice making room in the direct cooling type, the structure of theice making room becomes complicated. As such, it becomes difficult tomanufacture a refrigerator unit following the direct cooling type. Also,because of the complexity, it is difficult to perform work in the icemaking room. The difficult manufacturing process severely affects themanufacturing rate of building a direct cooling type refrigerator unit,and also causes the manufacturing cost of the refrigerator unit to beincreased. Further, since the refrigerant pipe is arranged inside theice making room, storage capacity of the ice making room is reduced tothat extent.

SUMMARY

In view of the above, embodiments of the present invention provide anapparatus and a method for making ice for a refrigerator unit that iscapable of improving the rate of making ice, which improves ice makingspeed and increases the amount of ice made in a period. Further,embodiments of the present invention provide a compact apparatus formaking ice through the arrangement of a refrigerant pipe on the outsideof an ice making compartment.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided an apparatus for making ice for a refrigerator unit. Theapparatus may include an ice making compartment configured toaccommodate an ice tray and to store ice therein; a first cooling plateconfigured to form at least a portion of at least one side surface ofthe ice making compartment; and a first refrigerant pipe configured tomove a refrigerant that is circulated by a cooling cycle. At least oneside surface of the ice tray comes in direct contact with the firstcooling plate. Also, the first refrigerant pipe is attached to one ofopposing surfaces of the first cooling plate, that surface beingdirected to an outside of the ice making compartment.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodfor making ice for a refrigerator includes: providing a refrigerant thatis circulated by a cooling cycle to a first refrigerant pipe;transferring cold air by heat conduction from the first refrigerant pipeto a first cooling plate, wherein the first cooling plate forms at leasta portion of at least one side surface of an ice making compartment;transferring the cold air by heat conduction from the first coolingplate to at least one side surface of an ice tray that comes in directcontact with the first cooling plate; and generating ice in the ice trayby the cold air, wherein the first refrigerant pipe is attached to oneof opposing surfaces of the first cooling plate, that surface beingdirected to an outside of the ice making compartment.

In accordance with another embodiment, a refrigerator is disclosed andincludes a freezer chamber located within a main body of therefrigerator, and a refrigeration chamber located within the main bodyof the refrigerator. The refrigerator includes an apparatus for makingice. The apparatus includes an ice making compartment configured toaccommodate an ice tray and to store ice therein; a first cooling plateconfigured to form at least a portion of at least one side surface ofthe ice making compartment; and a first refrigerant pipe configured tomove a refrigerant that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle. At leastone side surface of the ice tray comes in direct contact with the firstcooling plate, and the first refrigerant pipe is attached to one ofopposing surfaces of the first cooling plate that is directed to anoutside of the ice making compartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following description of embodiments given in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part ofthis specification and in which like numerals depict like elements, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator unit, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for making ice,according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for making ice,according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the apparatus for making ice illustrated inFIG. 2, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for making ice,according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for making ice, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for making ice, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of thepresent disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. While described in conjunction with theseembodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limitthe disclosure to these embodiments. On the contrary, the disclosure isintended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which maybe included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined bythe appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed descriptionof the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure.However, it will be understood that the present disclosure may bepracticed without these specific details. In other instances, well-knownmethods, functions, constituents, procedures, and components have notbeen described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspectsand/or features of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator unit 1, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator unit 1 may include amain body 2 having therein a food storage space, and is configured forforming an external appearance or exterior. A barrier 4 is configuredfor partitioning the food storage space formed in the interior cavity ofmain body 2, used for storing food and drink contained therein, into arefrigeration chamber R at the top thereof, and a freezer chamber F atthe bottom thereof. One or more doors may be configured to selectivelyisolate the interiors of the chambers from the surrounding environment.For example, refrigeration chamber doors 3 are provided at both frontedges of a front surface of the main body 2, and are configured throughrotation thereof for selectively shielding the refrigeration chamber Rthrough contact in part with sides of the refrigerator unit. A freezerchamber door 5 is configured for shielding a front opening portion ofthe freezer chamber F.

In this embodiment, although the apparatus 10 for making ice isillustrated as being provided on one side of an upper portion of therefrigeration chamber R, the location is provided merely forillustration purposes only. Alternatively, the apparatus 10 for makingice may be installed in different position within the interior of therefrigeration chamber R, or at a different position, such as therefrigeration chamber door 3, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for making ice for arefrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An apparatus 10 for making ice for a refrigerator according to anembodiment of the present invention includes an ice making compartment120 and a refrigerant pipe 160. The ice making compartment is providedin a case 110 that is configured to form the external appearance of therefrigerator unit 1, in one embodiment. The refrigerant pipe 160 isconfigured to circulate a refrigerant implementing a cooling orrefrigeration cycle. The ice making compartment 120 accommodates an icetray 130 that generates ice, and stores the ice that is generated.

A portion of the ice making compartment 120 may be made from metalhaving high thermal conductivity. Specifically, at least a portion of atleast a side surface of the ice making compartment 120 may be composedof a cooling plate 140 that is made of a material having high thermalconductivity. For example, the cooling plate 140 may be made fromaluminum.

The refrigerant pipe 160 is attached to one of opposing surfaces of thecooling plate 140, that surface being directed to an outside of the icemaking compartment 120. The refrigerant pipe 160 is attached to theoutside surface of the cooling plate 140 by an aluminum tape 170. Theother surface of the cooling plate 140, being directed to an inside ofthe ice making compartment 120, comes in direct contact with at leastone side surface of the ice tray 130. As shown, the refrigerant pipe 160and the cooling plate 140 are in direct contact with each other. Also,the cooling plate 140 and the side surface of the ice tray 130 are indirect contact with each other. As a result, cold air that is generatedby the refrigerant pipe 160 is transferred to the cooling plate 140 bythermal conduction, and the cold air, transferred from the refrigerantpipe, is further transferred to the ice tray 130 that comes in contactwith the cooling plate 140. Accordingly, water that is contained in theice tray 130 gradually becomes frozen by the cold air that is directlytransferred through the refrigerant pipe 160, the cooling plate 140, andthe side surface of the ice tray 130.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side surface 150 of the ice making compartment 120.As shown, only the portion of the side surface 150 that comes in contactwith the side surface of the ice tray 130 may be composed of the coolingplate 140.

However, according to another embodiment of the present invention, asillustrated in FIG. 3, one side surface of the ice making compartment120, that comes in contact with the ice tray 130, may be entirelycomposed of a cooling plate 140′. In this case, the cold air of therefrigerant pipe 160 is transferred by heat conduction through a portionof the cooling plate 140′ that comes in direct contact with the ice tray130. In addition, the cold air of the refrigerant pipe 160 istransferred by thermal convection to the ice tray 130 through a part ofthe cooling plate 140′ that does not come in contact with the ice tray130. As such, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 of the apparatus 10for making ice is capable of achieving a higher ice making speed, whencompared to the ice making speed of the apparatus 10 for making ice ofthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the apparatus 10 for making ice illustrated inFIG. 2, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the apparatus 10 for making ice includes arefrigerant pipe 160 that is configured on the outside of the ice makingcompartment 200. By arranging the refrigerant pipe 160 on the outside ofthe ice making compartment 120, an internal structure of the ice makingcompartment 120 can be simplified, and the storage capacity of the icemaking compartment 120 can be increased.

Further, since the existing cold air supply ducts that are used tosupply the cold air to the ice making compartment 120 can be removed,productivity of manufacturing units can be improved through thereduction of components of a refrigerator unit. Also, because there areless components, the manufacturing cost of a refrigerator unit islowered.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus 10 for making ice,according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to theembodiments as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a part or the whole of oneside surface 150 of the ice making compartment 120 is composed of thecooling plate 140 or 140′. In FIG. 5, the apparatus 10 for making iceincludes an upper surface adjacent to the side surface of the ice makingcompartment 120 as illustrated in FIG. 5, wherein at least a portion ofthe upper surface of the ice making compartment 120 may be composed of acooling plate 145.

As shown in FIG. 5, a refrigerant pipe 165 may also be attached to thecooling plate 145 that forms at least a portion of the upper surface ofthe ice making compartment 120. In one embodiment, the refrigerant pipe165 may be attached to one of opposing surfaces of the cooling plate145, that surface being directed to the outside of the ice makingcompartment 120. The refrigerant pipe 165 may be attached by aluminumtape 170.

In addition, the cooling plate 145 that forms at least a portion of theupper surface of the ice making compartment 120 may also be made of amaterial having high thermal conductivity. For example, the coolingplate 145 may be made from aluminum.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for making ice, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

The structures and features of the components of the apparatus 10 formaking ice as described above in FIGS. 2 and 3 will now be described inrelation to the flow diagram of FIG. 6 illustrating a method for makingice, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method formaking ice includes providing a refrigerant that is circulated by arefrigeration or cooling cycle to a first refrigerant pipe 160 (S210);transferring cold air by heat conduction from the first refrigerant pipe160 to a first cooling plate 140, wherein the first cooling plate formsat least a portion of at least one side surface of an ice makingcompartment 120 (S220); transferring the cold air by heat conductionfrom the first cooling plate 140 to at least one side surface of an icetray 130 that comes in direct contact with the first cooling plate 140(S230); and generating ice in the ice tray 130 using the cold air(S240). More particularly, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the firstrefrigerant pipe 160 is attached to one of opposing surfaces of thefirst cooling plate 140, that surface being directed to the outside ofthe ice making compartment 120.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for making ice, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

The structures and features of the components of the apparatus 10 formaking ice as described above in FIG. 5 will now be described inrelation to the flow diagram of FIG. 7 illustrating a method for makingice according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method formaking ice includes providing a refrigerant that is circulated by arefrigeration or cooling cycle to a first refrigerant pipe 160 (S310);transferring cold air by heat conduction from the first refrigerant pipe160 to a first cooling plate 140 that forms at least a portion of atleast one side surface of an ice making compartment 120 (S320);transferring the cold air by heat conduction from the first coolingplate 140 to at least one side surface of an ice tray 130 that comes indirect contact with the first cooling plate 140 (S330); providing therefrigerant that is circulated by the refrigeration or cooling cycle toa second refrigerant pipe 160 (S340); transferring the cold air by heatconduction from the second refrigerant pipe 160 to a second coolingplate 140 that forms at least a part of an upper surface of the icemaking compartment 120 (S350); transferring the cold air by thermalconvection from the second cooling plate 140 into the ice makingcompartment 120 (S360); and generating ice in the ice tray 130 using thecold air that is transferred from the first cooling plate 140 and thesecond cooling plate 140 (S370). In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 5,the first refrigerant pipe 160 is attached to one of opposing surfacesof the first cooling plate 140, that surface being directed to theoutside of the ice making compartment 120. Also, the second refrigerantpipe 165 is attached to one of opposing surfaces of the second coolingplate 145, that surface being is directed to the outside of the icemaking compartment 120.

According to the method for making ice of FIG. 7, the ice is generatedby the cold air that is transferred by heat conduction from the firstcooling plate 140 to the ice tray 130, and the cold air that istransferred by thermal convection from the second cooling plate 145 tothe ice making compartment 120. As such, the advantages of both thedirect cooling type ice making method and the indirect cooling type icemaking method can be used.

As described above, the apparatus and the method for making ice for arefrigerator according to the embodiments of the present invention canimprove the speed of making ice, and increase the amount of ice madewithin a period of time.

Further, since the refrigerant pipe is arranged on the outside of theice making compartment, the apparatus for making ice can be simplified.

Also, since a apparatus for making ice is more compact due to theoutside location of the refrigerant piping, the storage capacity of theapparatus for making ice and/or the refrigerator unit can be increased.

Further, since cold air supply ducts for supplying the cold air to theice making compartment are not required, thereby lessening the number ofcomponents and the complexity of a refrigerator unit, productivity ofmanufacturing refrigerator units can be improved. Also, because theimproved refrigerator unit has less components and is less complex, thecost of manufacturing the refrigerator unit is lessened.

While the present invention has been described with respect to thepreferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. Itwill be understood that a person having ordinary skill in the art towhich the present invention pertains may substitute and changecomponents without any limitation and these substitutions and changesalso belong to the scope of the present invention. The illustrativediscussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. It should be construed thatthe present invention has the widest range in compliance with the basicidea disclosed in the invention. Many modifications and variations arepossible in view of the above teachings. Although it is possible forthose skilled in the art to combine and substitute the disclosedembodiments to embody the other types that are not specificallydisclosed in the invention, they do not depart from the scope of thepresent invention as well. The embodiments were chosen and described inorder to best explain the principles of the invention and its practicalapplications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to bestutilize the invention. Further, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as defined in the followingclaims.

The process parameters and sequence of steps described and/orillustrated herein are given by way of example only and can be varied asdesired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or describedherein may be shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps donot necessarily need to be performed in the order illustrated ordiscussed. The various example methods described and/or illustratedherein may also omit one or more of the steps described or illustratedherein or include additional steps in addition to those disclosed.

Embodiments according to the invention are thus described. While thepresent disclosure has been described in particular embodiments, itshould be appreciated that the invention should not be construed aslimited by such embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for making ice for a refrigerator,comprising; an ice making compartment configured to accommodate an icetray and to store ice therein; a first cooling plate configured to format least a portion of at least one side surface of the ice makingcompartment; and a first refrigerant pipe configured to move arefrigerant that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle, wherein atleast one side surface of the ice tray comes in direct contact with thefirst cooling plate, and the first refrigerant pipe is attached to oneof opposing surfaces of the first cooling plate that is directed to anoutside of the ice making compartment.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first refrigerant pipe is fixed to the first cooling plateby an aluminum tape.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstcooling plate is made of a material having high thermal conductivity. 4.The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first cooling plate is made ofaluminum.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a secondcooling plate configured to form at least a portion of an upper surfaceof the ice making compartment; and a second refrigerant pipe configuredto move the refrigerant that is circulated by the refrigeration cycle,wherein the second refrigerant pipe is attached to one of opposingsurfaces of the second cooling plate that is directed to the outside ofthe ice making compartment.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein thesecond refrigerant pipe is fixed to the second cooling plate by analuminum tape.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second coolingplate is made of a material having high thermal conductivity.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the second cooling plate is made ofaluminum.
 9. A method for making ice for a refrigerator, comprising:providing a refrigerant that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle to afirst refrigerant pipe; transferring cold air by heat conduction fromthe first refrigerant pipe to a first cooling plate that forms at leasta portion of at least one side surface of an ice making compartment;transferring the cold air by heat conduction from the first coolingplate to at least one side surface of an ice tray that comes in directcontact with the first cooling plate; and generating ice in the ice trayusing the cold air, wherein the first refrigerant pipe is attached toone of opposing surfaces of the first cooling plate that is directed toan outside of the ice making compartment.
 10. The method of claim 9,further comprising: providing the refrigerant that is circulated by thecooling cycle to a second refrigerant pipe; transferring cold air byheat conduction from the second refrigerant pipe to a second coolingplate that forms at least a part of an upper surface of the ice makingcompartment; and transferring the cold air by heat conduction from thesecond cooling plate into the ice making compartment, wherein the secondrefrigerant pipe is attached to one of opposing surfaces of the secondcooling plate that is directed to the outside of the ice makingcompartment.
 11. A refrigerator, comprising: a freezer chamber locatedwithin a main body of the refrigerator; a refrigeration chamber locatedwithin the main body of the refrigerator; and an apparatus for makingice, wherein the apparatus comprises: an ice making compartmentconfigured to accommodate an ice tray and to store ice therein; a firstcooling plate configured to form at least a portion of at least one sidesurface of the ice making compartment; and a first refrigerant pipeconfigured to move a refrigerant that is circulated by a refrigerationcycle, wherein at least one side surface of the ice tray comes in directcontact with the first cooling plate, and the first refrigerant pipe isattached to one of opposing surfaces of the first cooling plate that isdirected to an outside of the ice making compartment.
 12. Therefrigerator of claim 11, wherein the first refrigerant pipe is fixed tothe first cooling plate by an aluminum tape.
 13. The refrigerator ofclaim 11, wherein the first cooling plate is made of a material havinghigh thermal conductivity.
 14. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein thefirst cooling plate is made of aluminum.
 15. The refrigerator of claim13, further comprising: a second cooling plate configured to form atleast a portion of an upper surface of the ice making compartment; and asecond refrigerant pipe configured to move the refrigerant that iscirculated by the refrigeration cycle, wherein the second refrigerantpipe is attached to one of opposing surfaces of the second cooling platethat is directed to the outside of the ice making compartment.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 15, wherein the second refrigerant pipe is fixed tothe second cooling plate by an aluminum tape.
 17. The apparatus of claim15, wherein the second cooling plate is made of a material having highthermal conductivity.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the secondcooling plate is made of aluminum.